LOS ANGELES — In a preseason media poll released Tuesday during the Pac-12 football media days at Fox Studios, new league member Colorado was picked to finish six among the six teams in the Pac-12’s South Division — by a relatively large margin.

Colorado received a total of 46 points from the 42 voters. Fifth-place UCLA received 89 points.

Southern Cal was picked to win the South Division, receiving 24 first-place votes. Arizona State received 13 first-place nods and placed second in the preseason poll.

The league’s other new member, Utah, received four first-place votes and was picked to finish third, ahead of Arizona, which received one first-place vote.

Steele on Monday ranked CU No. 1 in the nation in strength of schedule in an article on his website, ahead of Iowa State, Baylor, Oregon State and LSU. Based on opponents’ collective winning percentage last season, CU ranks 14th in the nation in degree of difficulty, with teams combining for a 98-67 record (59.4 winning percentage).

Steele’s rankings, though, take into account road games and power ratings. Colorado’s non-conference slate includes a road game at Ohio State on Sept. 24 and, by a quirk, a home game against California on Sept. 10.

The Denver Post’s John Henderson is visiting each Pac-12 town before Colorado joins the conference next season. Follow his travels here.

PULLMAN, Wash. — It’s natural for struggling coaches to emphasize the slim pickings they inherited. However, in Paul Wulff’s case, the cupboard at Washington State wasn’t just bare. The cupboards were gone, too.

Entering his fourth year, Wulff is 5-32. He has beaten Portland State, Washington, SMU, Montana State and Oregon State.

But among the long list of problems he found when he took over in 2008 were: He’s 6-3 and he stood taller than all but three linemen. They had no mandatory weight training. He lost eight scholarships to a bad APR.

The Denver Post’s John Henderson is visiting each Pac-12 town before Colorado joins the conference next season. Follow his travels here.

CORVALLIS, Ore. — How far down has Oregon State been? When athletic director Bob De Carolis came aboard as an associate athletic director in 1998, he was told in the interview process that the athletic department was $6 million in the hole.

“On my third day on the job, $6 million became $10 million,” De Carolis said. “In the third month, it became $12.5 million.”

They had 27 straight years without a winning football season and sold only 17,000 season football tickets. Enrollment was 13,000.

Since Mike Riley started his second coaching stint in 1997, they’ve gone 6-3 in bowls and enrollment has shot up to 25,000.

CORVALLIS, Ore. — I asked Oregon State athletic director Bob De Carolis how in the world Oregon State won two national baseball titles. The Beavers’ titles in 2006 and 2007 were the first by a northern school since Ohio State won it in 1966.

A huge boost came in 1999 when the Pac-10 switched from North and South divisions to one conference. Before, Oregon State played in a Mickey Mouse North Division with Washington, Washington State and Portland State.

“Kids who got passed up by the California schools wanted to beat them,” De Carolis said.

Please note: Colorado will be the only school in the Pac-12 not playing baseball.

The Denver Post’s John Henderson is visiting each Pac-12 town before Colorado joins the conference next season. Follow his travels here.

The Denver Post’s John Henderson is visiting each Pac-12 town before Colorado joins the conference next season. Follow his travels here.

CORVALLIS, Ore. — I came to Oregon State’s campus for the first time since my junior year at the Oregon Daily Emerald in 1976 when I covered coach Don Read’s last game at Oregon. Back then, both Oregon State and Oregon had facilities that weren’t much better than my South Eugene High. That’s because my high school played at Oregon’s Autzen Stadium.

And our crowds sometimes rivaled Oregon’s.

Well, you know what has happened since. Oregon alum Phil Knight opened his pocket for Oregon and built arguably the best facilities in college football. The end result was last season’s national runnerup finish.

Colorado quarterback Tyler Hansen at the Buffaloes' spring game on April 9.

Well, at least the rebuilding Buffaloes aren’t picked to finish last in their Pac-12 debut this fall.

I picked up a copy of the Sporting News’ 2011 College Football magazine (these preseason yearbooks seem to be published earlier every year) and saw that CU was picked for fifth in the Pac-12 South Division, ahead of UCLA, which is coached by former Buffs boss Rick Neuheisel.

The league’s other newbie, Utah, is picked by the Sporting News to win the South, followed in order by Arizona State, Southern Cal, Arizona, CU and UCLA.

Stanford is projected as the North Division winner, followed in order by Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, California and Washington State.

BOULDER – With a lineup that seemingly stretches forever with long-armed players measuring 6-feet-7, 6-10 and 6-11 across the frontcourt, Baylor’s 2-3 zone figures to be a challenge for Colorado in Saturday’s 11:30 a.m. (Altitude) game in Waco, Texas.

For one thing, Big 12 Conference teams rarely employ the zone as the base defense.

Chances are you haven’t heard of Dustin Garrison, a mighty-mite of a running back who has been a flat-out star this season for Pearland High School, one of the best schools in Houston. Not many outside of the area have.

But that is changing quickly.

He’s not only stepping out of the shadows as more schools take notice of his production, but he’s got eyes to play football at CU if the Buffs have eyes for him.

The particulars are these: Garrison is Rodney Stewart-sized 5-8, 160 pounds and yet he’s run for 2,434 yards and 39 touchdowns (on 7.2 yards per carry), and caught 27 passes for 474 yards and five touchdowns in the biggest division of high school football in Texas. His yardage is second in the city only to Brookshire Royal High’s Brandon Williams, who has committed to play for Oklahoma.

Garrison just helped lead Pearland to an upset victory over national power Katy (TX) High in the state quarterfinals, rushing for 104 yards and two touchdowns in the win. Katy came into the game ranked No. 10 in the nation. Now, Pearland (14-0) is ranked 21st in the country.